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4-H recognized for its support of Ronald McDonald House Charities
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Effingham County 4-Hers who attended the Junior Conference included, front row, left to right: Logan Byrd, Bailee Wilson, Abigail Henry, Briannah Cribbs and Brianna Tredway; and back row, Chance Denny and Nick Palefsky. - photo by Photo provided

Effingham County 4-H was recognized at the Georgia 4-H Junior Conference for its support of Ronald McDonald House Charities.


4-H’ers from every fifth- and sixth-grade classroom in the Effingham County School System collected pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. Effingham County 4-H’ers placed third for the Southeast Georgia District by collecting a total of 434 pounds.


The Ronald McDonald House serves families of children who are receiving medical treatment, providing a “home-away-from-home” at little or no cost for families with a hospitalized child. This year Georgia 4-H’ers collected 14,053 pounds of pop tabs for a value of around $7,500.


The project began in 2002 when seventh- and eighth-grade 4-H’ers presented the idea to 4-H administration. Since then, 4-H’ers have raised nearly $78,000 to support Ronald McDonald Houses across the state by selling 129,236 pounds of pop tabs.


More than 700 volunteers, teen leaders, junior participants and 4-H staff gathered at Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton for the annual Georgia 4-H Junior Conference, a 26-hour event filled with community service projects, classes, workshops and fun activities.


The 4-H’ers representing Effingham County were Logan Byrd, Briannah Cribbs, Chance Denney, Abigail Henry, Nick Palefsky, Brianna Tredway and Bailee Wilson.


Junior Conference is a statewide event designed for Junior 4-H’ers (seventh- and eighth-graders) to experience belonging to a group of peers, demonstrate generosity through service projects, master subject matter through classes and workshops and exercise independence as they learn about possibilities available through Georgia 4-H.


High school 4-H’ers and adult volunteers instructed classed on subjects including financial literacy and bullying prevention. The conference also provided recreation such as a dance; color run; a scavenger hunt; a performance by Clovers & Company, the Georgia 4-H Performing Arts group; and multiple games such as miniature golf, flag football, ultimate frisbee, relay races and a talent show.


Together, the 4-H’ers, 4-H staff and teen leaders collected 42 pounds of coupons to send overseas to military personnel and their families through Coups for Troops, wrote 85 letters for military troops and made a compassion chain to reminder everyone to stop bullying when they see it occurring.

Effingham School Board Approves $203M budget with Potential Property Tax Increase
2026 budget
This chart illustrates how the Effingham County School District’s $203 million general fund is allocated for fiscal year 2026, including spending on salaries, benefits, transportation, health services, and safety and security. (Courtesy of Effingham School District)
The Effingham County Board of Education approved a $203 million fiscal year 2026 budget Thursday night, reflecting an 11% increase over last year. The rise is largely due to an $8 million spike in health and retirement benefit costs for employees. To help cover the shortfall, the district may raise the property tax millage rate, potentially increasing homeowners’ taxes by up to 12 percent.
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